Karen Gleason

Background and Education

Karen K. Gleason is the Alexander and I. Michael Kasser Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE). During her faculty career at MIT, Prof. Gleason served as Executive Officer of the Chemical Engineering Department, Associate Director for the Institute of Soldier Nanotechnologies; Associate Dean of Engineering for Research; and as Associate Provost. In the later role, she had primary responsibility for space allocation, planning, and management across the MIT campus. Additionally, she provided oversight for the Technology Licensing Office (TLO), the Industrial Liaison Program (ILP), and successfully led negotiations to establish significant new industry-sponsored alliances. Prof. Gleason has authored more than 300 publications, holds >35 issued US patents, and is sole editor of the book CVD Polymers Fabrication of Organic Surfaces and Devices, published by Wiley in 2015. She currently serves as a Deputy Editor for American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal, Science Advances. Prof. Gleason’s honors include the Charles M.A. Stine Award from the AIChE, the Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the Donders Visiting Professorship Chair at Utrecht University, Netherlands, the AIChE Process Development Research Award, and Young Investigator Awards from both the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.  She has delivered the Van Ness Award Lecture at the Rensselaer Polytechnic University, the Tis Lahiri Lecture at Vanderbuilt University, and the Adel Sarofilm Distinguished Lecture, University of Utah. Prof. Gleason is a co-founder of GVD Corporation and DropWise Technology Corporation. Her PhD is from the University of California at Berkeley and her BS and MS degrees are from MIT, where she also won All-American honors in swimming.

Awards and Honors

• AIChE's Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement by a Woman Chemical Engineer | 2021
• John M. Prausnitz AIChE Institute Lecturer Award | 2019
• Charles M.A. Stine Award | 2015
• Elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering | 2015
• Elected AIChE Fellow | 2013
• AIChE Process Development Research Award | 2012
• Printed Electronics Europe Best Materials Award | 2011
• Keynote Speaker, 23rd International Conference on Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Semiconductors | 2009
• Chair, 5th International Conference on Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition | 2008
• Donders Visiting Professor, Utrecht University, Netherlands | 2006
• Excellence Award, SEMATECH | 2000
• Tenth Annual Van Ness Award Lecturer, RPI | 2000
• Chair, Gordon Conference on Diamond Synthesis, Oxford, UK | 1998
• Presidential Young Investigator, National Science Foundation | 1990
• Young Investigator Award, Office of Naval Research | 1990
• Amoco Foundation Fellow | 1982-85
• NCAA Post-graduate Fellow | 1982
• All-American NCAA Division III Swimming | 1978-82